Family members and activists in Alabama are questioning the use of force by cops in the arrest of a teen, who is recovering "slowly and painfully" from his injuries.

Ulysses Wilkerson's mother, Angela Williams, posted a picture of her son's battered face on Facebook in wake of Saturday night's incident in Troy. The photo has been shared 80,000 times.

"The family wants justice," spokesman Kenneth Sharpton Glasgow told the Troy Messenger. "The family is very, very upset with the City of Troy and especially the police department."

Troy cops say that Wilkerson, 17, fled when approached by officers late Saturday night. Police Chief Randall Barr said that Wilkerson "resisted arrest and refused to comply with commands from the officers to place his hands behind his back."

Wilkerson continued to struggle with officers and kept reaching toward his waistband "as if he was attempting to access a weapon," according to Barr. Officers later found a handgun lying on the ground.

Chief Barr said in the statement that Wilkerson's actions and his "failure to comply" led officers to use "physical force" during the arrest.

"The force was reasonable and necessary," he said.

However, Wilkerson's family claims that cops used force on the teen while he was handcuffed, according to CNN.

Activist Gerald Jackson, who is helping to organize a peaceful rally to take place in Troy on Saturday, wants to know why Wilkerson was stopped by cops in the first place. Chief Barr said in the statement that the teen was confronted by officers when he was observed walking behind a closed business.

“We’re asking them to produce something," Jackson told the Troy Messenger. "We want to know why the officer brutally beat him the way he did and we want them to release the bodycam footage. Give us transparency. We have the right as taxpayers and the public to know what this government official did to this private individual."

The Troy Police Department has requested that the State Bureau of Investigation "conduct a formal independent investigation" into the arrest.

Williams is expected to deliver a statement regarding her son in Troy on Friday.